Google Now Lets You Control Assistant Data Uptake From Google App, Also Eases Deleting Voice Log

Comments Off on Google Now Lets You Control Assistant Data Uptake From Google App, Also Eases Deleting Voice Log

The Google app now has a ‘Your data in the Assistant’ section

Highlights

Users no longer have to open the My Activity page in a browser

It is now easier to delete all voice queries and recording samples

Users also have the option to deactivate all voice data collection

Google laid a considerable amount of stress on the privacy aspect of its ecosystem at Google I/O 2019, promising to give users more control over their data. Well, it appears that Google has started taking steps to put the plans in action by making it easier for users to control the amount of data collected by the eponymous virtual assistant straight from the Google app. Rather than going to Google’s My Activity page, one can now specify what data the Google Assistant can access using the Google app on their phone. Also, users can now erase the entire log of their voice commands from Google Assistant’s database.

Earlier, users had to open the My Activity page – which was launched back in 2016 – on a browser to let them delete their activity log like search history, video watching log, etc. or choose to selectively preserve them for better recommendations. Google is making the process easier by letting users access those data control tools from the Google app itself. The new Google App tool called ‘Your data in the Assistant’ was spotted by Android Police.

However, it appears that this feature is being rolled out in a phased manner. We could find the new ‘Your data in the Assistant’ option in the Google app on a phone running Android Q Beta 3. It is not available on the Google app installed on another phone running Android Pie, despite running the same build of the Google app. Here’s how you can control your data collection preferences in the Google Assistant app: Google App > More > Settings > Google Assistant > Your data in the Assistant.

Under the ‘Your data in the Assistant’ page, users can check the complete log of the past activity recorded by the Google assistant, and also specify whether Google can have access to data such as voice and audio activity, Web and app activity, device information, and more. Below it users can see details of how Google utilises the user data to improve the user experience.